here's a diagram of how i plan on doing my amp rack.


trying to allow the spare tire to remain a part of the car.
other then that anything can change.

need input on any issues you see i might run across
or just your input would be great.

also need to know what kinda wood i should use.
light as possible but not so thin it bows.
will be covering intire rack once completed so wood doesn't have to look good.

I would start by making a 2x4 frame around the area, for strength, and something to mount it to.

I would also hinge your amp rack, so you can lift it up to access the spare.

maybe make it out of 1/2" plywood, because if you use MDF, it will be heavy, and wont resist water.

have you taken a look at my install? I have access to my spare tire, but my amps are mounted vertically on the right side of the trunk behind a panel (i have ugly amps that do not need to be exhibited). Battery is behind left hand panel.

I should actually put a picture of my spare tire door open on the site, so you could see how i built the framing around it. I made the mistake of building totally out of MDF, and my install weighs like 200lbs including the box and woofers.

The difference between what I have done and what you want to do (or what I think you want to do) is that you want your amps over the tire, not on the side.

Maybe this helps at all? maybe it doesnt

2x4's seem a lil big..this rack will only be sitting on the bottom of trunk.
i wont be doing the sides at this time..maybe later though.

your trunk does look like it's very heavy..
1 sheet of 1/2 inch plywood shouldn't be too hard to lift and it will not be connected to the sub box in anyway.

you need to explain how i can install another battery..sounds like a great idea. i seen a car with what he called a gell battery in the trunk.

that is correct.i will have to loose the spare tire cover and relocate the jack but the whole install will not loose any trunk space,except the thinkness of the plywood,because the amps themselves will be recessed into the spare tire well.and i will be able to throw shit on top of amps if needed.
Very clever concept actually.

all replies help more then you all might think..thanks and keep helping.

This is where i got the idea.


as you see his is completely done too.
i'm not ready to go that far yet.
but the bottom is what i am after.
also notice the lil lock on the door.
in general it seems very doable to me.
also need help figuring how to have the door meet the surface.
does it have a ledge to sit on or what.

wonder how much this stuff will be vibrating.
plan on putting padding under the plywood.
but worry about the door vibrating.

Looks pretty good to me!
The locking hinged door is an excellent idea, and wouldn't be hard to do at all. Yes, of course you'll need a board/ledge for the door to come up evenly with the floor, the when you lock it....as long as you make the slot where it will lock and latch into place a tight fit, it really shouldn't vibrate much....although 1/2 plywood it self....might flex/vibrate depending on how loud your system will actually be...I would recommend you make the door out of some heavy MDF just for added weight to keep it down. Remember COOLING! That Hifonics BX1000D will get hot in there if you don't put some sort of air flow in there. Something like the use of these would be perfect. As for adding a second battery, I would recommend upgrading the alternator and the the main power wires and then later a deep cycle battery (Optima Yellow Top) instead of adding a second battery. I see adding a second battery as a quick fix, and it can actually become expensive, well over the price of a high output alternator.
When adding a second battery, here's a few things to know. First off, you must use the same exact type, size, CCA, EXACT same as your starting (engine compartment) battery, if not....the two batteries will fight between each other and discharge quickly especially if you just wire them together. Secondly, use a Battery Isolator, not really a choice, a must...what it does is act as a high amperage relay (200 amp is around $50) and it will Isolate/cut off the second battery from the starting battery when you turn the car off (hook the relay to the ignition wire), what this does is save your starting battery from being discharged by the second battery, even if it is the same type of battery there still will be discharge. Thirdly, well...you'll need some 0 or 1 guage (or bigger) wire to hook the second battery up, then you'll want to mount the second battery solidly...so you don't have any accidents $50 for the isolator (up to $260 for the ones that monitor voltage/smart isolation), say $25 for wiring, and about $100-150 for a good second battery (matching the existing one or upgrading it - $200-300 [$560 with the smart isolator]) So you could spend $175-375 for adding a second battery. Upgrading main power wires (about $2.40 (6 foot of each - ground & power - $0.20 a foot), Alternator ($160 for 140 amp), and if you want to, a deep cycle battery ($150)...comes to about $312.40, $162.40 without the deep cycle battery. Much better choice to do the wires, alternator, and upgrade the battery in my opinion instead of adding a second battery because as you can see, they are very close in price. If you're wondering where you're able to get that 4 guage wire so cheap...PM me and I'll let ya know...ah hell, I'll say it right here, http://www.Nexxon.com
It's the site I am working for, uploading products, new features...etc. No need to worry about orders, Dave, the owner, is a good guy. Plus the orders of course take place over a secure server connection...so no worries there either. $0.20 a foot for BLUE or SILVER. I snatched up 15 feet of the silver 4 gauge for my grounds, only $3.00, all prices shipped, there is a $5 charge for orders under $25 though, so $8.00 but that's just to cover shipping...otherwise it would have basically have been free....he wouldn't get anything out of the deal. But yea....$.20 cents a foot....can't beat it...it's Scosche wire too. Hell...even KnuKonceptz 4 gauge is $0.99 cents a foot...Nexxon has some good specials on all kinds of wire actually...speaker wire too. Check it out: http://nexxon.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=1457_1458


TOC Admin
Brando

well guys took me half the day but finished my system.
at least i finished STAGE 1 of project thumper as i call it..

got a lot of pics of it but will only show 1.


this stage required that i.
1. Run the 4 gauge wire from battery to the trunk.
Power wire was run on drivers side and RCA signal jacks where run on passenger side.
2.Run remote bass control for HiFonics & prerun bass control for Rockford amp which is part of stage 2.
3.Install a make shift board to mount amp to,and cover with fabric.
stage 1 complete.
all necessary wires are routed to trunk and is ready for stage 2.

stage 2 is planned to be.
1.Install of the Rockford next to the HiFonics to run the 6x9's.
2.Install power and ground distribution blocks which i have purchased alrdy.
3.Update 6x9 factory speaker wire.
4.Layout all wiring to look good,not a birds nest. :?

stage 3 has not been intirely planned out yet but involves the recessing of the amps into the spare tire well..

the problem (at least this is true with me) with doing an install in stages, especially finishing and custom work for last is that once you get the system working, you wont want to do anything but listen to it. So taking it back apart later seems like a big pain in the ass. Thats what happened with my install, it stayed uncovered for months!!!

but thats just my lazy ass talking

thats true so far too.
done nothing but listen to it.
also got my first complaint about it too.
wife says why do you need it to be so load?
i said it aint about being loud ,it's about sounding good.
this amp makes my subs sound much clearer and tighter then the old amp honey.
she replies"it's too loud.i heard you coming home a block away or more."
really i reply,thinking to my self that i didnt even have it cranked up that loud...lmao..
this amp rocks guys..HiFonics...

1 day i need to turn it on as loud as i usually listen to it and just start walking away from it to see how far it travels..
i think she is crazy..

low frequencies seem to travel quite a ways...

Nice job so far, that hifonics amp looks really sweet!!! Chromed up like that, and the light up emblem. Nice job so far, I can imagine what the finished product will look like!!!

one thought...

are you planning to put some snail fans or something under the plexiglass with your amps? I really need to put snails on my amp rack to move some air in the dead of summer. I can imagine that hifonics will produce some real heat.

actually my rockford ran hotter then this amp.
it's not hot..but i still thought about the fans.
my biggest roadblock right now though is the dimming lights issue.
going to have to fix that before i can add the rockford to the mix.
dont think wife is rdy to let me get a bigger alternator or another battery just yet.
have to wait a few for her to forget about the amp..

she is however wanting new speakers for her car now..

yeah, you really need a buffer in the trunk... That will help your dimming lights problem. Either a cap or a battery... I think in the end they will both be similar in price... But a cap will be easier to install.

I had never seen this post until today, well i tried to read a couple install posts from work, but the page was blocked for containing banned words!!

Anyway I did my install with amp rach the last couple weeks, and although I am not done wtih the sides, or the sub box (might be building a box for 4 12's) here are some pics of the job.



Ill make another post later.. gotta boot it to work (got the new Luda, and Chingy)

PS the blue plastic on the plexi glass comes, off I just havent peeled it off, kinda like when you buy a cellphone, you keep it on for a while lol